My Whole Life is Old Navy

Hi, my name is Olivia, and I'm an Old Navy addict...

Dress and jean jacket from ON for my grad photos.

It all started about 5 years ago. For the longest time, I could never find a pair of jeans that would fit me just how I wanted them to. They were either too tight in the waist or too long in the legs, or too "mom-ish", or too flared, etc... One day, my mom came home with some clothes for me and everything changed. She had been to Old Navy, and while I don't usually like the clothes she picks out for me, I tried on the jeans anyway. They fit like a glove! I always thought that Old Navy had "old people" or "preppy clothes". But since that day, I don't think I have ever bought a pair of pants from anywhere else.

Rocking the Old Navy sweater, cami and
jeans which you can't see while at Costco...

Seriously, Old Navy has clothes for every style and shape. Somehow, when I go into the store, I know I can pick up any shirt and as long as it's my usual size, I don't even have to try it on. Their jeans are actually the best. They fit just right, sucking in at all the right places. They've also got coloured and patterned pants which I just love and own a large variety of. They always have different dresses available, which vary in color, pattern and style but all seem to fit the same way. I wish I was kidding when I said that literally every article of clothing I wear on a regular basis is from Old Navy.

Dress from Old Navy at my BFFs wedding shower.

As someone who is considered "plus size" by most standards, I find it really hard to go into stores and not be able to shop in the "regular" section, instead having to scout out the Plus section. In Old Navy, there's no such thing. All of their clothes go up to size XXL and the pants go up to size 20 (I think possibly higher online as well). I can't tell you how great it is to be able to walk into a store, and not worry about if I'll find something that fits. The sky is the limit!

At the Justin Bieber concert in Quebec City!
Outfits of all three of us on the right.... Old Navy...
And I have the blue striped dress too. 

The final thing I love SO much about Old Navy is the prices. Some thrift shoppers of the world might walk in and think a lot of their clothes are a little pricey. However, if you sign up for their emails you'll know that they pretty much always have some kind of sale going on. For example, last night I went and almost everything was 40% off! They also have "Super Cash" sometimes, where you earn Super Cash to use on another trip a few weeks later. Yesterday I got around $300 worth of clothes for $80! Can't beat that!

Before you ask, this post is not sponsored (although Old Navy please hit me up if you're interested because I basically keep you in business with my purchases alone...). I just wanted to share with the world where you can find great clothes for good prices, regardless of your size! If I could, I seriously would just live there.

Do you have a store that is like this for you? Do you shop at Old Navy often? Let me know!

Until next time,
Liv <3

Where am I now???

Howdy!

So... I have a blog... This is a fact that I have somewhat forgotten for almost TWO YEARS?! Holy moly, how things can change in such a short amount of time! For my followers, I hope you haven't forgotten about me, and I hope to make this blog a place where you can visit again regularly.

Here's a quick life update - since the last time I posted, I have (in no particular order):
- Finished my Masters degree
- Gotten a promotion at work
- Moved into my own apartment
- Welcomed a brand new puppy
- Sold my guinea pig due to allergies :'(
- Gone BLONDE
- Been the Maid of Honour in my best friend's wedding
- Started working at my church part-time in the youth department

So I guess you could say a LOT has been going on! Now that the changes are done and the dust has settled, let's get this blog up and running again! I feel like now that I'm out on my own and the education is finished, this is where the real exploration begins. I want to use this blog to document the journey!

So, I look forward to taking you all along with me!

See you soon!
Liv :)

"The One", or Just "One"?

Hi all,

I've been doing some thinking lately, and I wanted to write my thoughts to try and make sense, and so you guys can weigh in if you like!

So, in my church I kind of mentor a girl in our youth group. She is 17 going on 30, and she actually helps me sometimes and has some really interesting thoughts and ideas. The other day, she texted me distressed after one of her classes.



You see, her teacher ruined love. Basically, she said that there is no such thing as one true soulmate, but possibly a few people around the world who you come into contact with and fall in love. So in her opinion, love is based on a series of "geographical happenings". Well. How upset would you be as a 17 year old girl who thinks that everyone has 'one true love'. It's as if her dream was crushed! But this conversation got me thinking.

In this world, is there really only one person for us? One true love, or soulmate for everyone? I'm not so sure. If this was the case, then I think there would be a whole lot of people who never got married. What if my mom's soulmate lived in China? I would never have existed. Well maybe, but I would have looked a bit different. What if Kate Middleton grew up in Papua New Guinea? Where would Prince George be now?

It could be true that love depends on 'geographical happenings'. But maybe those geographical happenings are the work of "true love's" magical forces bringing those two people together. Who knows, really?! What I do know is, I hope some geographical happenings come into my life sometime real soon! What do you guys think of this phenomenon?

Until next time,
Liv :)

A Creative Outlet

Hey all,
hope you're having a fabulous week.

Yesterday after work my friend asked for a drive to a city an hour away to the passport office. Instead of simply dropping off the paperwork and going back home, we decided to make a day of it. We thought it would be fun to do something we can't do at home, so we went to paint some pottery!

    

We both have a lot going on right now, so sitting down for three hours and focusing on painting was exactly the mental break needed to de-stress. She painted measuring cups and spoons, and I painted a chevron mug and measuring cups.

    

I will admit that I do not have very many skills in the slightest. I am a terrible cooker/baker, as you may have noticed from the lack of promised macaron recipe... They weren't exactly a roaring success. I am not a fabulous writer, and I'm not too artsy fartsy. But this skill level was perfect, and we managed to create some cute pieces! Once they are glazed and fired in a kiln, we will go to pick them up. It's amazing how the colors actually appear once fired! I will be sure to post some pictures on that day.

What do you do to de-stress? Are you artsy? A baker? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time,
Liv xx

The Beginning // Liv Loses

Hey all,
Happy hump day! We are eight days into 2014, and it's time to begin a new series: Liv Loses.

As I've mentioned before, I want to embark on a weight loss journey. So here goes nothing! I am perfectly happy with how I am, but I've decided that I'm tired of being out of breath for simple things and not always being able to wear the clothes I like. It's time for a change! Tomorrow I start a three-day juice cleanse as a kick start, and on Sunday I begin eating healthy. My gym membership starts on the 15th of this month, so I'm really excited to start the transformation!

However, I must admit something. When it comes to weight loss, I've pretty much tried it all. SlimFast, PINK Method, Weight Watchers, Curves, you name it. Sure, all of them work, but I can never seem to find the motivation to stick with it. When you think of losing thirty or forty pounds, it seems like a world a way, and doesn't seem like enough. But when you actually look at a picture of what that one pound of fat looks like, it's easy to see that every last bit makes a difference. Since I have the habit of giving up, I've decided to do not one, not two, but THREE things to keep me accountable in 2014.

First, I have joined the ShayLoss DietBet! I won't go into too much detail, but basically you put $30 into the pot, "betting" that you can lose 4% of your body weight in one month. If you succeed, you get your $30 back, along with a cut from the pot of people who didn't succeed. What a great idea! I encourage you to check it out here.

Secondly, I'm going to stay accountable to you guys! Every week or two weeks, depending on how I progress, I plan to make an update post here on my blog. Whether you read it or not is up to you, it's more for my sake to keep motivated and truly see the difference!

Thirdly, I am going to be putting together a team to do the Run or Dye 5k colour run this June! If you don't know what this is, it's basically a 5k run, where volunteers throw coloured powder at you after each kilometre. It looks like so much fun, and this is going to be my six-month goal! I have downloaded an iPhone app called "Couch to 5k", which gives you a different running/walking schedule each day for 9 weeks. The idea is that you should be able to work your way from never running at all to running five kilometres in those 9 weeks! Of course, it all depends on how often you do it, so I am going to start at three days a week. My motivation will be completing the Run or Dye 5k with my best friends.



What are your big goals for 2014? Is this series something you would like to see more of? It's really more for me than anything else, but if it helps anyone else at all it's even more worth it!

Have a great Thursday!

Until next time,

Liv :)

PS: Starting weight and pictures coming soon! Let's do this!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Hey everyone,
welcome back to my little slice of the web. It's November 7th, which means that Christmas is 47 days away.



In my town, it's starting to get flipping cold, and the smell of snow is in the air. That means it's just about time to start unpacking the Christmas decorations and giving the neighbourhood a bit of cheer. Not only that, but I'll be bringing that Christmas cheer over to my blog as well. Over the next 47 days, expect to see Christmas-inspired posts, DIY projects and recipes on this space. Out of respect for our Canadian war veterans, I'll be waiting until after Remembrance Day (November 11th) to start these features. So stay tuned!

Until next time,
Liv xx

Growing Up Is Hard To Do

Hey all,
welcome welcome!

Last night I was at a going-away party for one of my best friends. She is moving "out west" as we Maritimers call it, and everyone came together to say "goodbye".

Growing up is something that we all face, and most of the time we can't wait for it to come. But it's not until it's already happened that we realize how things have changed. As our group of friends got together for a photo, it really made me think about how different things are compared to only 6 years ago.


Canada Day, 2007. See if you can spot any of us in the picture below!



Looking at these pictures side-by-side is a really surreal experience. You really don't think you've changed that much until you see it right before your eyes. Growing up is hard to do, but as it happens you get so many chances to do exciting things, and the world is your oyster!

What do you love most about being grown up, or what do you look forward to doing when you get older? Let me know :)

Until next time,
Liv <3

Who Am I? Who Are You?

Hello folks,
Happy Halloween!



I hope you've all had a fun day filled with cute costumes and yummy candy! Since I work with kids, I was obliged to dress up, and chose to be a baby! Onesie, soother, pigtails and all.



Anyway, with Halloween having come and gone, we are moving into a new season. I have recently realized that over the last month or so I have gained a few followers, as well as just casual readers. Because of this, I thought I would do a teeny "getting to know you" sort of post.

While I was taking a gander over on Charlotte's Web, I found her most recent post included ten questions. So, I thought I would take the challenge and answer them in between trick-or-treaters' knocks at the door.

1. Who are you?

- Well hello! My name is Olivia (Liv for short). I am 21 years old, I am Canadian, and I work with kids at an autism clinic.

2. Why do you blog?

- I blog because I love to share things. I also love to write and take pictures, as well as attempt to be creative. Blogging is the perfect way to combine all of these things, and even get some feedback from it!

3. What's your favourite song?

- My current song on repeat would have to be "Story of My Life" by One Direction. It's just so different from all of their other songs, I absolutely love it.

4. Snog, Marry, Avoid: Ron Weasley, Harry Styles, Jude Law?

- Snog: Harry Styles - because who could say no to that face?

- Marry: Ron Weasley - he does seem like marriage material, doesn't he?

- Avoid: Jude Law - don't get me wrong, I love Jude Law. But he's just a little old for my taste, I think.

5. What are you doing right now?

- At the moment I am watching 'Hocus Pocus', writing this of course, and handing out bags of Sweet Chili Heat Doritos to trick-or-treaters.

6. Tea or coffee?

- Definitely tea. I just can't get used to the taste of coffee at all! But I have a whole shelf filled with canisters of loose leaf tea from DavidsTea, one of my favourite stores.

7. Favourite book?

- I really enjoyed Harry Potter, as well as the Hunger Games trilogy, but my favourite book would probably have to be The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. What a tearjerker!

8. Favourite movie?

- A movie I could watch over and over again would have to be "Life as We Know It" starring Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel. Another favourite would probably be The Little Mermaid, or She's the Man.

9. Which blogs do you visit religiously?

- I follow only a few blogs on BlogLovin', but I check for a few quite often: Sprinkle of Glitter, Zoella, Tanya Burr, Cup of Jo, and Fleur de Force. At the moment I'm looking for some new blogs to follow. What ones do you recommend based on the ones mentioned above?

10. What's your URL?

- This one is for you to answer. I want to get to know you people on the other side of the internet! So, if you have read and enjoyed this post even a little bit, go ahead and answer these questions in the comments. Then, feel free to leave your URL for others to find their way over to your little slice of the web.

Looking forward to hearing about you!

Happy Halloween,

Liv :)

The City that Never Sleeps

Hello there! Welcome :)

              As you may have guessed from my previous posts, I am a bit of a travel addict. I have been very lucky to have been able to travel with my family to a few places in the States and the Bahamas so far. I have also had the opportunity to go on several mission trips with my church within Canada. However, last summer was my favourite and most life-changing mission trip as of yet: the Bowery Mission in New York City.



              While I had been to New York a few times before, I had never experienced it like this. Twenty-eight youth and leaders stayed in the 'volunteer quarters' of a homeless shelter/soup kitchen/men's reform centre for a week, and were recruited to do many different tasks each day. This included cooking and serving meals, cleaning, giving out clothes, handing out food in the park, playing music for the daily chapel services, and more. We also really got a chance to chat and bond with the men in the program and hear their life stories. This was a really eye-opening experience not only for the kids, but for me as a leader as well.

              Though we had many responsibilities during the day, we also had the evenings and a Saturday to do some sightseeing. This meant that we would get to bed each night around midnight and had to be up by 6:30AM (5:45 if we were on breakfast duty). Needless to say that by the end of the week we were all exhausted and hated each other a little bit, but it was well worth it in the end. I am so glad I had this opportunity and am able to share it with you. Here are some photos from our time away at the Bowery Mission!


The girls with one of the men we met from the reform program.


A friend and I at Strawberry Fields (not sure why there is a strange haze over me, this is not so on my computer!)


Our entire group on the roof (again, what is that haze?!)


Men In Black headquarters from the movies.


The chapel at the Bowery.


Me with one of the men from the program, just before leaving.

              I have over 700 photos combined from my camera and phone, but I don't want to be too overwhelming here... This is just a little snippet of my personal highlights from the week. Hope you enjoyed! If you would like more information on the Bowery Mission or are wondering how you can get involved, you can visit their website at www.bowery.org. It really is an amazing place. What was one of your most life-changing experiences? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time,
Liv <3

Autumn Bedroom Tour

Hey everyone,

As I've mentioned before, I have officially made my foray into the YouTube world! I have made one other video previously, but I have some cool ideas saved up now and I'd love to keep up with it as a hobby! So, just a quick little post to share with you my latest video: my Autumn Bedroom Tour.

It's quite short as I don't really have too many cool things in my bedroom, but I figured this is a good video to start with that I don't actually have to be in... works for me! Let me know what you think in the comments!

Until next time,

Liv xoxo

Simple DIY Chalkboard

Hey everyone,

welcome back! I have just returned home from a lovely weekend with friends back at my old university, and am ready to finally present my crafty tutorial from last weekend!

I kind of skipped the photographing of a couple of steps, but the craft itself is pretty self-explanatory. This is more of an idea post for you! Here are the supplies you will need:



- Any shaped wood you wish to use as your chalkboard. I chose this pre-sanded and painted shape from the craft store.

- A fairly wide paintbrush.

- Coloured chalk.

- Chalkboard paint (it doesn't have to be Martha Stewart).

- Not pictured here, you may also want a complementary colour of your choice for the border of your chalkboard.

Start by covering your board with three coats of chalkboard paint!



When it's finished and dried, use something round (or measure a border if you're using a square shape) to create your border, and paint that with two coats.



Et voila! It's that simple. You have your very own chalkboard to use however you please! It could be a grocery list in the kitchen, a message board in your entryway, or just a cute decoration.



If you make one of these, take a picture and tweet it to me @livloves17

What DIY crafts have you been loving recently? I want to know!

Until next time,
Liv :)

What Did I Just Watch?

Hey everyone,
welcome back!

In my last post, I said I would be back shortly with a crafty post. Due to a memory card malfunction, I may have to recreate this crafting idea to be posted at a later date. But rather than leaving you hanging all weekend, I thought I would tell you about something I will never forget: the worst movie I ever did see.



If you're like me, you might have heard about this movie, and gotten super excited about its awesome cast. Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson, JAMES FRANCO. The trailer made the film look like a happy-go-lucky vacation gone wrong, but this was not the case at all. From the beginning scene of full frontal nudity, I had not a clue what was going on. The plot was easy enough to follow, but then again was there really a plot?

I can tell you this much: this movie was basically a montage of pink ski masks, guns, money, murder, drugs, bikinis, and James Franco creepily whispering "Spring break forever..." about 75 times. I was just baffled!



Now, I am not usually one to negatively critique movies like this. I am a firm believer that every movie has it's positive sides, and if I don't like it someone else will. However, I had to speak up about this film, because I have no idea who this movie will "speak" to. I also wanted to forewarn anyone who hasn't seen it.




Have you seen Spring Breakers? What did you think? Let me know down there in the comments!
Hopefully the next time you hear from me, I will be back with that crafty post I promised you.

Until next time,
Liv <3

MeTube, YouTube!

Hey everybody,
welcome back! Just a little housekeeping for today, and I'll be posting a regular lifestyle-ish post when I get home tonight! For now I just wanted to highlight a couple of things for you:

- I have a Twitter, you should go follow it here!

- My friend and I are working on a cool project for my YouTube channel, kind of as an official kick off. It involves filming at various locations, so it is going to be a little while in the making. So as a little treat, I decided to upload a funny little music video I made with a friend back in June. It's nothing too special, but I thought I'd share it anyway! You can check out and subscribe to my YouTube channel here.



- I want to make an "FAQ" page here on my blog. What I would love is if you could all post a question in the comments below, so I can compile them onto that page!

Well, now that all of that is out of the way, I'll see you tonight with a crafty post.

Until next time,
Liv :)

My Day in Photos

Hey everyone,

welcome back! Today I thought I would do something I have seen on a lot of blogs, which is the "Day in Photos" tag. From the time I woke up until now (3:30) I have taken a photo at each hour to document what I have done! I would continue all day, but I know I will just be writing papers and watching TV, rather boring! So without further adieu, here is my day in photos!

At 8:30, I arose from my slumber and hopped into a shower.



At 9:30 I was at Tim Horton's waiting in the drive-thru line.



By 10:30 I was at church, helping run the sound system for this week.



After church, at 11:30, my friend and I went for a country drive to enjoy the nice autumn weather and colours. I thought this abandoned baseball diamond looked pretty neat!



At 12:30, I came home to Thanksgiving dinner on the stove and in the oven.



While I was waiting for dinner to be ready, around 1:30 I was getting caught up on my YouTube subscriptions.



At 2:30, dinner was served!



Finally at 3:30, I reorganized my dresser and settled in for some homework and Hawaii Five-O watching.



So there you have it! That's pretty much my day, all summed up in an aesthetically pleasing manner. I want to challenge you all to do this post yourself, and leave a link to your blog in the comments below so I can see!

Until next time,
Liv <3
PS: A big Happy Thanksgiving again to my Canadian readers! I hope you've all had a great day with family/friends wherever you may be :)

Ke$ha in Person

Hey everyone,
happy Saturday!

In my entire life, before this year, I had only ever been to two real concerts. One was the Moffats (please tell me someone remembers them), and the other was Hilary Duff. This past August, I had the awesome chance to go see Ke$ha in concert during her Warrior tour. Since I never really even posted any pictures on Facebook, I thought why not share some snaps with you all. Because of the really bright lights, I don't think I actually managed to get a good picture of Ke$ha... but you can at least see some things that we did and saw!











As you can see, we may or may not have gotten photobombed in that one.

And here is a little video!



The next concert that I will be going to is ONE DIRECTION and I can hardly wait! What concerts have you been to, or do you look forward to attending in the future? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time,
Liv :)

My Celebrity Dinner Party

Hey everybody,
Welcome!

For today's post, I thought I'd try something a little different. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have all of your favourite celebrities, dead or alive, in one place? I know I have. So what I've decided to do is compile a list, in no particular order, of who I would invite to my celebrity dinner party and why.

1) Khloe Kardashian Odom

Say what you will, but Khloe is probably my favourite of the Kardashians. She is so funny, and is always getting into some kind of shenanigans. So imagine what fun events she could bring to a dinner party! I know I'd love to find out.

2) Bryan Cranston



You probably recognize him as Walter White, the bad-ass meth manufacturer from Breaking Bad. But what I want to know is: is he really that bad-ass in real life? And if not, how does he channel his inner criminal? This could be a really good discussion.

3) Zooey Deschanel



She just seems so quirky, doesn't she? I absolutely love every movie or TV show she has ever been in, and I would love to just sit down and talk to her and experience her uniqueness (is that a word?) in person.

4) Niall Horan



Well, to start with, who wouldn't want to just stare at Niall for the entirety of a dinner party? I know I would, no problem. But if you've seen One Direction's movie "This is Us" (which I have... twice), you will know that Niall has a really funny, creative streak. While watching that movie, he may have just earned a soft spot in my heart. I'd love to know his thoughts on the band's whirlwind success and everything that comes with it. And with his and Khloe's crazy antics combined, everyone will be in for a treat!

5) Cory Monteith



Since I first started watching Glee, Finn was always my favourite character. So earnest, funny, and determined. Cory Monteith, as a person, was also an inspiration to me. A Canadian like myself, he worked many unfulfilling jobs before finally making it big at age 27. Although he died in a terrible way, his life continues to be an inspiration to many. I would have loved to get a chance to meet him, and talk to him about what motivated him to keep trying for as long as he did and pursue his dreams. Rest in peace, Cory.

Well, I don't know about you, but if I were planning on having this dinner party at my house, I don't think I'd have room for too many more. But what I'd like to know is, who would you invite to your celebrity dinner party?

I'm going to call this the "Celebrity Dinner Party Tag", so I want to 'tag' you all to do this post on your own blog! Post a link to your blog in the comments, so I can read your guest list. If you don't have a blog, write your guest list in the comments! I'm interested to see who y'all would pick.

Until next time,
Liv xoxo

Liv in London!!

Hey everybody, great news!

If you've been following my blog since the beginning, you might be familiar with my previous plans to move to London for a year. You may also know that this plan did not work out due to other commitments and responsibilities! However, an exciting development has emerged.



From May 25th to June 8th, 2014, I will be flying with my bestest childhood friend, from Canada all the way to London! I can not even begin to describe how excited I am. This is something I have dreamed of doing for as long as I can remember (to be honest, probably since Winning London, the Mary Kate and Ashley movie was released). Not only that, but while in London I will be attending... drumroll please... a One Direction concert! If you read my old post about trying to win tickets this summer, then you will know that this makes my heart go all a-flutter just thinking about it.

Have you ever wanted something so bad your heart ached, and you finally got the chance to have it? This is how I feel right about now. Although my plans to live in London fell through, even just a small taste of life there will be enough to get me by for a little while. I can't wait! The eight months until then feels like about 150 years right about now.

If you live in or have been to London before, what do you suggest we do? So far on the list are: the London Eye, the Harry Potter Studio Tour, and the other obvious tourist attractions such as Buckingham Palace, etc. What are some of the less known places to go? Let me know some things that Expedia might not tell us about.

Until next time!
Liv...
WHO IS SO EXCITED SHE CAN'T EVEN SIT DOWN!